Pele’s Chair and the Ka’Iwi coast

Trail distance: Approx 2 miles

Terrain: Sandy

Elevation Gained: no significant elevation gain

I hit several spots today because there were several I wanted to check close together.  So this was the 3rd stop today.  So if you go to Makapu’u state wayside and you think that the lighthouse is the thing to see you are not alone.  But it’s not the only thing to see.  So today I took a walk on a path that is a local secret.  I took tons of pics and I will post a few but there are more on my Photobucket account. 

The first time I visited Makapu’u lighthouse we were still living in a hotel and we were told this was an easy trail.  At the time I disagreed, but at the time I was also a smoker and out of shape.  Now I would say it’s easy because it’s paved and not very long.  you can get some amazing views and in the winter you can see whales off shore. 

But today I was after something a bit different.  I had heard about this private beach and a trail to get up close and personal with Pele’s chair.  So instead of heading up the daunting hill I took a right off down into what looks like a completely desolate desert field.  The plants are brown and appear dead.  But looks can be decieving!

I headed down the trail and noticed I was walking on black sand, something that I was told is found only on the big island.  After about a half mile of hiking on pretty even ground I came to a junction.  From what I read one way leads to Pele’s chair and the other to a private cove that only locals know about.  Both are true.  But either one will lead you to that beach.

I chose the beach first and what I found amazed me.  It’s beautiful beyond words or even pictures.  There is this little 50 yard stretch of beach that is a tranquil pool.  Outside this pool the ocean rages and roars but it completely blocked by reef and thus the pool remains calm.  There is a circular pool make of volcanic rocks, by man, shaped in a circle that is even more tranquil than the rest.  But it’s the view that’s really the show stopper.

I got in and cooled off because this entire hike is in the sun.  It was an amazing little peaceful place.  But I hungered for more.  So I explored down the coast a little and found more tidepools that were not as tranquil as the first but they seem to be good fishing spots.  I saw several fisherman along the way. 

After a walk down the beach I turned my attention to the rock formation known as “pele’s chair”.  This is said to be where Pele, godess of fire, wind, lightning and volcanoes, sat to rest before she created the other islands of Hawaii.  I didn’t have the time to hike all the way up to it today but I was able to walk around it and get some good pics. 

So there was no jumping from the pole in the pool next to the chair today.  I hope to do that some other time.  The ocean was churning pretty good outside the cove today so I’m not sure what the conditions of the pool would have been.  I make it a point to respect the power of the ocean and if something makes me nervous I make sure I have someone with me.  Today I did not so a quick dip in the tranquil pool is all that I got today.

Japanese Fishing Shrine

A I drove up to the blowhole this morning I noticed a small monument and wondered what it was.  I approached it and took a few pictures but the whole thing is in Japanese so I couldn’t read it.  After returning home I found the following: 

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/27329

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Halona Cove and Halona Blowhole

Everyone that visits the island goes to the blowhole.  It’s a pretty cool thing to see.  For those who don’t know a blowhole is basically a hole in the rocks where the water comes up through when the surf hits the caves beneath just right.  Depending on the size of the wave and the force with which it hits it can produce, at halona, a mist or a large surge up through this hole.  Pretty cool to watch and if your patient you can get a some really cool pictures. 

I am itching to get closer to it, but I also have a healthy fear of it.  There was a case on a neighbor island where a tourist was sucked into a blowhole never to be seen again because he got too close.  So I’m all for keeping a respectful distance.  But there is some sort of pole or something down there and I couldn’t make out what it is.  So naturally I want to get a closer look. 

There’s something else hidden at the blowhole that few tourists know about too.  There is a stairway that leads to Halona Cove.  Most look at this cove, I’ve done it myself, and think about how inviting it looks.  Thanks to a source I found the way down there today. 

 

 

Today the surf was churning things up pretty good and I was alone so I didn’t dare get in.  But I will be going back for a swim at a later date.